Never Heard of “Gifu” Before?

Even if you consider yourself to be well-versed in all things Japan, it’s no shame to admit that you’ve never heard of Gifu before. Many Japanese even are virtually unfamiliar with the prefecture and have little idea of what exactly is here. However! Many places in Gifu and many products of Gifu are extremely famous both in Japan and internationally; it’s just that the name “Gifu” is often left unconnected with them! This is one of the issues that I hope to help fix through this blog and its related websites, by getting the name GIFU out there and increasing its name recognition!

Some of the places that every Japanese knows and that many foreigners interested in coming to Japan know as well include the following:

UNESCO World Heritage Site Shirakawa-go

Hida Takayama

Gero Hot Spring

Famous events in Gifu:

Cormorant fishing on the Nagara River

Takayama Festival (Fall and Spring)

Gujo Dance

Famous products of Gifu:

Hida beef

Blades from Seki City

Kurikinton chestnut sweets

Ayu sweetfish

Food replicas from Gujo Hachiman

Mino Japanese paper

…and I could go on and on! Rather than being unknown, Gifu is actually very well-known and has played a very central role in Japanese history, tradition, and culture; the fame that surrounds it is simply not necessarily connected to the name. So please help me reverse this by learning about GIFU, encouraging others to do the same, and eventually visiting to experience its charms and wonders in-person!

Located at the very center of Japan, Gifu is easy to get to and is a convenient spot to at least take a side-trip to for a couple of days as you make your way from Tokyo to Kyoto, for example. Make Gifu a destination of yours and help bring it the recognition it deserves!

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2 responses to “Never Heard of “Gifu” Before?”

I didn’t know much about Gifu apart from it being close to Nagoya when I first moved over to Japan, but now I wouldn’t live anywhere else in Japan. It is an amazing place and love being surrounded by the mountains.

Did You Know…? Fun Fact about Gifu

Gifu's Mizunami City is home to the largest komainu, guardian lion-dogs that you find on the grounds of Shinto shrines, in the world! These 15-ton statues found at Hachioji Shrine are recognized by Guinness World Records, and while most komainu are made of stone, these are specially made of Mino pottery, a famous product of the Tono region!